1. Who hosts these files?
Disclaimer
The author is not responsible for any contents linked or referred to from his pages – If any damage occurs by the use of information presented there, only the author of the respective pages might be liable, not the one who has linked to these pages.
None of the audio/visual content is hosted on this site. All media is embedded from other sites such as GoogleVideo, YouTube, Guba, MegaVideo, Youku etc. Therefore, this site has no control over the copyright issues of the streaming media.
All issues concerning copyright violations should be aimed at the sites hosting the material. This site does not host any of the streaming media and the owner has not uploaded any of the material to the video hosting servers. Anyone can find the same content on Google Video or YouTube by themselves.
The owner of this site cannot know which documentaries are in public domain, which has been uploaded to e.g. Google video by the owner and which has been uploaded without permission, and is therefore willing to remove any violating material immediately upon request . The copyright owner must further contact the source if he wants his material off the Internet completely. Read the Terms of Use & Privacy Policy as use of this site constitutes acceptance of them.
2. What is public domain
Many of the old movies are in public domain. Note that most of the newer videos are probably not in public domain. “When a work’s copyright or patent restrictions expire, it enters the public domain and may be used by anyone for any purpose.”
From Archive.org: “If the work was made in 1923 or earlier, it is probably public domain and can be uploaded. NOTE! Restored versions of the film or new soundtracks for silent films can have more recent copyrights that are still valid – usually a copyright notice for a new soundtrack or restoration will appear in the film.
For works made from 1923 to 1949, post a question to the movie forum on this site before you upload. The copyright could have been renewed and there isn’t a way online to check a film’s copyright status.
For works made from 1950 to 1963, you can check the title at the Library of Congress Copyright Database for copyright renewals. This will list copyright renewals for most films.”
A video may fall under public domain if: (1) the term of copyright for the video has expired; (2) the author failed to satisfy statutory formalities to perfect the copyright or (3) the video is a work of the U.S. Government.
3. How do I download a video?
Use any of Firefox Ad-ons for download management, or go to Keepvid or Video Downloader and follow the instructions. Very easy. You should only download movies that are in public domain/open source/creative commons.
4. How do I watch in full screen?
Click the full screen button located beside the volume control. To return to the original size, hit Esc.
5. Are there other similar resources?
Archive.org – “This collection contains thousands of videos which range from classic full-length movies, to daily alternative news broadcasts, to user-uploaded videos of every genre. We hope you enjoy this vast and diverse collection!”
Publicdomaintorrents.com – “Public Domain Movie Torrents hosts a wide variety of movies now in the public domain that you can download for free using Bit Torrent technology. Many for PDA iPod PSP and other mobile devices.”
The Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) is a non-profit professional association established to advance the field of moving image archiving by fostering cooperation among individuals and organizations concerned with the acquisition, preservation, exhibition and use of moving image materials.
Footage.net – “Since 1994, FOOTAGE.net has been the premiere stock footage resource to reach the trade’s best stock footage sources – news, creative, archival, and RF. Now find better content faster than ever before.”
Creative Commons – “Creative Commons provides free tools that let authors, scientists, artists, and educators easily mark their creative work with the freedoms they want it to carry. You can use CC to change your copyright terms from ‘All Rights Reserved’ to ‘Some Rights Reserved.’”
6. I want to use material featured on this site. How?
Do not ask Dr Documentary to send you material – We do not have any. You can only use material that is in public domain, open source or published under CCL (creative commons license). Use archive.org and openflix.com to verify which of the material is in public domain.
Use these sites:
Archive.org – Read the site and read their FAQ.
OpenFlix.com – “OpenFlix makes a good faith effort to determine the United States public domain status of movies listed in our directory.”
The Public-Domain Movie Database – “Created to assist people in their search for public domain movies and to develop a better understanding of the public domain laws, this database is intended to serve as a source for this need.”
Creativecommons.org – “Enabling the legal sharing and reuse of cultural, educational, and scientific works”
Spinxpress.com – “The best way to search for Creative Commons licensed media.”
Creative Commons (Wikipedia)
Public Domain (Wikipedia)
Fair Use (Wikipedia)
Please do not ask Dr.Documentary to send you material – I don’t have any. Do not ask me to provide you with information about movies in the public domain. Use the LINKS to the sites above to help you.
7. I want to have my film listed on this site. How Can I go about doing this?
If you created a documentary and if you are the copyright holder just upload the film to any of the video sharing sites and send me the link through, CONTACT US
8. I have problem viewing the streaming videos. Can you Help!
(Note: If the screen is blank and nothing happens the video has probably been removed). If the video plays but suddenly stops, try moving the video timeline pointer past the point where it stops. Go to Google Video Help Center, Get the latest Windows Media Player, Get the latest Flash Player, Get the DivX Codec, Get the DivX Player.
Download Firefox If you are still having problems? SORRY, there’s nothing more I can do about it.
9. Why have some videos been removed?
They have been removed by GoogleVideo, YouTube or a similar video hosting service by any number of reasons. Usually I’ll try to find another source from which I’ll embed the video. If I can’t find the full movie I’ll place a preview of the movie.
10. Why videos hosted on MegaVideo have a time-limit, why I’m being redirected to a pop-up advertisement and how can I resolve this?
Videos hosted on MegaVideo have a time-limit because they are having a tough time covering their bandwidth costs. Therefore, they had to come up with a solution for making some money. On top of the pop-up ads that they have on their videos, they will also limit the users of some regions to a time-limit.
This will show a message to the user that “you must purchase a premium plan” after 72 minutes (sometimes 54 minutes) of watching a video. After this message, you have to wait around 2-3 hours before you are able to watch another megavideo movie (or continue watching the same movie). This way they can control the traffic and the bandwidth that their website consumes.
However there is way for overriding this issue:
Press the red play button and pop-up window may immediately appear. Just close the pop-up window (or tab), press play again on the green button and let the video play a little. Press pause, and let the entire video load/buffer (usually takes around 8-10 minutes for a full length movie depending on your Internet connection).
Then disconnect from the Internet, or work off-line in Internet Explorer, or use your firewall to somehow stop your browser from communicating with the MegaVideo server. If you do not know how to do any of the above steps, then just unplug your Ethernet cord from the back of your computer. When you are done watching the video you can reconnect it.
There is another workaround:
1) Use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer
2) Enjoy the film.
11. Who updates this site and how did it all start?
My name is Dr.Documentary and I’m the owner of this site. I absolutely love knowledge & intellectual thought provoking material and feel that it is my human duty to make available a place where these links can be viewed, shared, and discussed. Dr.Documentary depends strongly on its viewers and admins, who make up #TeamDrDocumentary, in order to help run the daily operation of the site. Thanks for your support and we hope you like our humble site.
12. I want to advertise on this site. How much?
See the Advertising Page.
